Safeguarding children

YMCA NSW is accredited by the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) under the Safeguarding Children Program.

This program is a voluntary accreditation scheme designed for organisations who have a duty of care to children and young people whilst delivering a service or activity to them and/or their families. It systematically builds the capacity of organisations to keep children and young people safe from abuse and exploitation by staff, volunteers or other related individuals.

Gaining full accreditation means that YMCA NSW successfully meets and complies to the ACF’s seven standards of the accreditation requirements. It recognises that we know how to keep children and young people safe from harm and endorses our efforts to actively pursue the highest level of child safety in our organisation.

The accreditation also highlights our ability to:

recognise the factors that increase a child's vulnerability to maltreatment

be aware of the vulnerabilities which may indicate a need to assess, monitor or curtail the behaviour of individuals in relation to children and young people within organisations

create an environment which limits the opportunity for children to be maltreated

develop and maintain a culture that is child-focused, transparent and respectful

implement a comprehensive framework that ensures appropriate policies and guidelines for all individuals associated with an organisation.

Over the last few years, YMCA NSW has worked hard to ensure we're a more child-safe organisation.

We created and implemented the YMCA NSW Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Framework that demonstrates how safeguarding will be built into all areas of our business and operations.

We established a dedicated Risk team including a Chief Risk Officer and Child Protection Manager.

We introduced new reporting tools for staff to report any behaviour not consistent with child safe practices including the independently run Whistle-Blower service for clients and third parties who can make anonymous reports of actual or suspected wrongdoing.

We significantly improved recruitment and induction processes, with all new staff now required to pass a Working With Children Check and Police Check and all staff required to complete regular, mandatory child protection and safeguarding training

We regular distribute of child-safety resources for staff and clients.